Machine for affixing stamps.



E. H. HOTGHKISS & C. BEACH.

MACHINE FOR AFPIXING STAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. l2. 1909.

953.38%. Patented M3129, 1910.

z'sHBETs-SHBBT 1. 57

. XM 62%@ #7W/Ma ANDREW 4 GRAHAM co.. wow-Lnuoammsns. wAsnlNvoN. D4 c,

E. H. HOTGHKISS & G. BEACH.

MACHINE FOR AFIEIXING STAMPS.

APPLIOATION vHman APR. 12. 1909.

Panama Mar. 29, 11910.`

z sunsite-SHEET z. 7.7. 5 7

m Mmmm/anna.

@nnen/ICMA] 6% M GI/meooeo wr 198mb:

fau 625.6%@

ANDREW s. GRAHAM Ca.. PHOTOYLWNOGRAPNERS.wAsmNcoN. DAC:

NETE@ STATES VV1 FFQF.

FIJI HUBBELL HOTCHKISS, OF NORWALK, CONNECTICUT, AND CHARLES BEACH, OF CATSKILL, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR AFFIXING' STAMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pgpttgd Rigby, 29, lg, Application sied April 12, 1909.

Serial No. 489,345.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, (1) ELI HUBBELL HoToHKrss and (2) CHARLES BEACH, citizens of the United States, residing at (1) Norwalk, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, and (2 Catskill, county of Greene, State of New ork, respectively, have invented a new and useful Machine for Affixing Stamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hand controlled means for aifiXing gummed sheets to articles such as envelops or cards, and the invention is especially designed for the purpose of afxing postage stamps to envelops or post cards.

One of the objects of the invention is to produce an improved apparatus of this character having means for moistening the envelop or other article to which the stamp is to be applied, instead of moistening the stamp itself.

Other objects are to provide a simple, economical and easily operated device of this character, a special feature being a hand operated lever which is moved in one direction by hand and returned to normal position by a spring, the first part of the hand movement cutting off a projected stamp from a strip and pressing it upon a previously moistened area on the envelop or card, a continued movement throwing back a feed pawl and the return by the s ring projecting another stamp to be cut ofi and applied by the next hand movement.

To these ends, the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings F igure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying our improvements, portions being broken away to illustrate certain interior arrangements. Fig. 2 is an elevation from the right of Fig. 1, the lever being in section. Fig. 3 is an elevation from the side opposite that shown in Fig. 1, omitting the outer portion of the reel or stamp strip support. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing parts in section, and showing the hand lever in its lowest position to which it is shifted to affix a stamp.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all of the views.

A suitably formed base 10 sup orts a table 11 over which the stamps are fet. Uprights 12 rising from the base 10 are provided with bearings for the feed rolls 13. The lower feed roll is shown as supported in bearings which are not adjustable, but the upper feed roll has its shaft or trunnions mounted in bearing blocks 14 mounted in vertical ways in the uprights 12. rllhe bearing blocks 14 are provided with stems 15 which pass up through an ripper plate 16 which is supported on the uprights 12. The two stems 15 are connected by a cross bar 17 through which an adjusting screw or thumb screw 18 passes, the lower end of said screw bearing on the upper plate 16. Around each stem 15 is coiled a spring 19 confined between the top of the block 14 and the under side of the plate 16. The two springs 19 hold the upper roll 13 yieldingly against the lower roll 13, while the thumb screw 18 enables the upper roll 13 to be adjusted vertically so that it will not bear upon the lower roll if it should be desired to avoid direct contact of the rolls when there is no strip being fed between them.

We will now proceed to describe the means whereby the feed of the strip is effected by an intermittent rotation of the lower roll, it being understood that the upper roll is a pressure roll only and is not positively actuated.

Secured to one end of the lower roll is a ratchet 2O and mounted on the shaft of said roll is a crank 21 having a pawl 22 to engage the ratchet 2.0. The motion of the crank 21 in one direction is limited by a set screw 23 tapped through a portion of one of the uprights of the machine, the motion of said crank arm in the other direction, for feeding the strip, being effected by mechanism which will be presently described.

The upperl plate 16 is laterally extended over the table 11 and is provided with a tubular upright 24 in which is mounted a plunger 25 having a head 26 at its lower end, said head having a guide pin 27 eX- tending up through a suitable aperture in the upper plate 16 to prevent said head and plunger from rotating. The plunger 25 has two circular enlargements 2S and 29 fitting the interior of the upright 24 to guide the plunger accurately in its vertical movement. A spring 30 coiled about the plunger 25 between the lower enlargement 29 and the botduced in thickness as best shown in Fig. 2.'

A pin 33 passes through the reduced or thin portion of the plunger and through the two members of the lever 31 the ends of said pin entering vertical guide slots 34 in the tubular upright 24. rlhe end of the lever 31 is longitudinally slotted as at 35 to receive a pin 36 projecting laterally from an arm 37 of a rock shaft 38 mounted in suitable bearings at the upper end of a bracket or standard 39 rising fromthe uprights 12 above the horizontal plate 16. Said rock shaft 38 has another arm 40 which is connected by a link 41 with the end of the crank 21.

The head 26 of the plunger is provided with a yielding pr-esser 42 said presser being secured to the lower ends of screws or pins 43 which pass freely through the head 26 and have heads 44 above it to limit the downward movement of the presser 42 relatively to the head, this relative movement being effected by springs 45 coiled about the pins or screws 43 between the upper surface of thc presser and the under surface of the head 26. The head 26 is also provided with a cutter 46 adapted to sever a stamp from a strip which is supplied between the feed rolls, the edge of said cutter co-acting with the end of a strip guide 47 mounted on the table 11. Said strip guide has its edges turned over and inward toward each othcr as shown in Fig. 2, leaving an open space between said edges which will enable the finger of the operator, or any suitable in strument, to be employed for starting the end of the strip through the machine when preparing it for use.

As shown in Fig. 1 a bracket 48 is secured to the uprights 12, said bracket supporting the strip reel or coil casing 49. Said casing has an opening 50 for a purpose which will be presently described and, in practice, is provided vwith a removable side 51 which is held in place by a screw 52 entering a stud 53 projecting from the opposite wall of the casing. As shown in said Fig. 1 a strip 54 in coil form is mounted on the stud 53 and is held in the casing 49 by the cap or side member 51, the end of said strip being led through the outlet from the casing to and between the feed rolls. The purpose of the slot 50 is to enable a loose strip in other than coil form to be employed. posing there is no coil in the casing, one end ln this case, supof a strip of any desired length is pushed through the slot 50 and down and through the outlet from thc casing to the feed roll.

Before describing the operation of the feed rolls and of the aiiixing plunger, the means for applying moisture to the envelop or card will first be referred to.

As shown in Fig. 2, a lateral extension of the table 11 affords support for vertical ways 55 in which is mounted a plunger 56 having a knob or hand pressure member 57 at its upper end and being normally elevated by a spring 58. Connected to the lower end of the plunger' 56 is a reservoir 59 for water or other moistening fluid, said reservoir having a small aperture 60 (see Fig. 1) in its bottom and having a pad 61 of felt or other suitable absorbent material below said aperture, the pad projecting slightly below the lower edge of the walls which inclose it. A suitable filling opening in the reservoir is provided with a stopper 62.

rPhe pin 63 which connects the link 41 with the crank 21 passes loosely through both and has the pawl 22 secured to its inner end. On the outer end of the pin 63 is secured a collar 64 by a cotter pin 65. A spring 66 connects said cotter pin with a stud or pin 67 projecting from the hub of crank 21 and serves to keep the pawl in engagement with the ratchet. A spring 70 is connected to the end of lever 31 and to a suitable fixed part such as the bracket 48, and acts to normally hold the lever in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

In use, the operation may be as follows The envelop or card is first laid on the lateral extension of the table 11, under the moistener, and then the plunger 56 is depressed so that the pad 61 will apply moisture to the upper surface of such envelop or card. The area of moistened surface will preferably be somewhat greater than that of the stamps which are used so that no great care need be exercised in properly locating the envelop or card for the stamp to be affixed thereto. After a portion of the envelop or card has been moistened, as described, the article is shifted along the table to bring the moistened portion in front of the strip guide 47 and under a stamp projecting from the guide 47. The operator then grasps the handle 32 of the lever which normally rests in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3 and depresses it to cut off the stamp and aflix it as shown in Fig. 4. This rocks the shaft 38 and, through the link 41, partially rotates the crank 21 and shifts the pawl 22 to the position shown by full lines in Fig. 3. On release of the handle the spring 70 returns the parts to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, so that the pawl 22 causes the lower roll 13 to feed the strip the exact distance according to the size of the stamp so as to project another stamp to position to be aiiiXed to the next moistened article.

It is to be understood that while we have illustrated and described the invention in what we consider to be its preferred embodiment, we do not limit ourselves to all of the details of construction since we may variously modify the same within the limits of mechanical skill.

Having now described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, and means operatively connected with one end of said lever for feeding material under said cutter and presser.

2. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, rolls for feeding material under said cutter and presser, and means connected with one end of said lever for operat ing said rolls.

3. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating` lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, yielding means for holding one of said ends normally depressed, and means operatively connected with the depressed end of the lever for feeding material under said cutter and presser.

4. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, yielding means for holding one of said ends normally depressed, rolls for feeding material under said cutter and presser, and means connected with the depressed end of said lever for operating said rolls.

5. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating `lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, feed rolls one of which is provided with a ratchet, a crank having a pawl engaging said ratchet, and means operatively connected with one end of said lever for operating' said pawl.

6. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, feed rolls, one of which is provided with a ratchet, a crank having a pawl engaging said ratchet, means opera tively connected with one end of said lever for operating said pawl, and means for limit-ing the movement of the crank in one direction.

7. A machine of the character described comprising a tubular upright provided with slots, a plunger working in said upright and provided with a cutter and a presser, a level' fulcrumed on a pin carried by said plunger, said pin engaging said slots, and means operatively connected with one end of said lever for feeding material under said cutter and presser.

8. A machine of the character described comprising a tubular upright provided with slots, a plunger working in said upright and provided with a cutter and a presser, a lever, a fulcrum pin for said lever mounted in said plunger between said enlargements and engaging said slots, and means operatively connected with one end of said lever for feeding material under said cutter and presser.

9. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, a rock shaft having an arm operatively connected with one end of said lever, a feed roll, and means actuated by said rock shaft for operating said feed roll.

10. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, a rock shaft having an arm operatively connected with one end of said lever, a feed roll having a ratchet, a pawl engaging said ratchet, and a link connected with said rock shaft for actuating said pawl.

11. A machime of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, one of said ends being provided with a slot, a rock shaft provided with an arm carrying a pin engaging said slot, a feed roll provided with a ratchet, a crank having a pawl engaging said ratchet, and a link operated by said rock shaft and connected with said crank.

12. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, means for yieldingly holding one of said ends normally depressed, feed rolls one of which is provided with a ratchet, a pawl engaging said ratchet and means operatively connected with the depressed end of said lever for operating said pawl.

13. A machine of the character described comprising a plunger provided with a cutter and a presser, an operating lever fulcrumed in said plunger and having its ends free to swing, means for yieldngly holding,- one of said ends normally depressed, a rock shaft having an arm operatively connected With the depressed end of said lever, and means operated by said rock shaft for feeding` materal beneath said cutter and plunger.

14. A machine of the character described comprising` a base having a table, uprights above'said table and having` a top plate, feed rolls the upper one of Which is mounted in vertically yielding` bearings in said upright, stems leading from said bearings above the top plate said stems being connected by a cross bar, and a thumb screw passing through said cross bar and bearing` 15 i ELI HUBBELL HOTCHKISS. CHARLES BEACH.

Witnesses A. M. HARRISON, A. K. BROKAW. 

